Charley Hull stood over a 15-foot birdie putt at Dundonald Links. Minutes later, she walked off with a nine and an opening-round 78.
Charley Hull arrived at the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open as one of the biggest names in the field. By the time she reached the fifth green Thursday, her opening round had already turned into the kind of viral golf disaster every professional fears.
Hull had a 15-foot putt for birdie on the par-5 fifth at Dundonald Links. It should’ve been a chance to erase an early bogey and build momentum alongside playing partners Lottie Woad and Nelly Korda.
Instead, the putt raced past the cup, kept rolling and disappeared off the green.
Then things got ugly.
Hull needed four separate chip shots to get the ball back into a position where she could finally putt.
She eventually sank a 10-footer, but the damage was already complete ... a quadruple-bogey nine from a spot where birdie had looked completely realistic moments earlier.
That’s a five-shot swing without ever leaving one hole.
The meltdown pushed Hull to 5-over through five holes and effectively knocked her out of the early tournament conversation.
She managed to steady herself with four straight pars before making the turn, but another shot slipped away on the back nine as she signed for a 6-over 78.
For a player ranked seventh in the world, it was a stunning collapse.
Hull, 30, is making her 10th appearance in the Women’s Scottish Open and has played the tournament every year since 2017.
She’s never missed a cut in the event, with her best finishes coming in 2021 and 2024, when she placed fifth.
That streak is suddenly under serious pressure.
The opening-round disaster also came during one of the tournament’s marquee pairings.
Hull had spoken warmly about playing with defending champion Woad and former world No. 1 Korda, praising both players before the tournament began.
But links golf doesn’t care about featured groups, world rankings or expectations.
One putt can catch the wrong slope. One mistake can become two. Then two can become four chips and a scorecard-killing nine.
Hull still has time to fight her way toward the weekend, and her aggressive style has produced plenty of dramatic comebacks before.
She’ll need one now, especially with the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes waiting next week.
Thursday’s fifth hole was a brutal reminder: at Dundonald Links, even a birdie opportunity can turn into a complete wreck before you know what hit you.
